What do you get when you combine a roundabout with a diverging diamond?

Now that we (some of us anyway) are getting used to roundabouts and diverging diamonds, it’s time to be ready in case you encounter a combination of the two.

The Missouri Department of Transportation says diverging diamonds and roundabouts are two of the best ways to move travelers as safely and efficiently as possible.

When they’re combined, they’re called divergabouts.

According to MoDOT, the combined road design allows drivers to enter and exit the highway safely and efficiently without the need for traffic stops, which also helps relieve congestion and reduces the cost and effort of maintaining traffic stops, saving taxpayer money.

The innovation was highlighted in this month’s Transportation Systems Management & Operations (TSMO) Success Story video. In the video, Ryan Hale, traffic management & operations engineer and Chris Redline, district engineer, explain how the Kansas City District is using the divergabouts.